This post is sponsored by PinkBlush Maternity. I received free product in exchange for this post.

When I found out I was pregnant with my first baby, I was so excited that I bought (and started wearing) maternity clothes when I was only 2 months pregnant. You might think that’s ridiculous, but after trying to get pregnant for 15 months, I was so ready to embrace every aspect of pregnancy, maternity clothes included.

Now that I’m on my third pregnancy, I still love maternity clothes. I wear them every day and I think they are the best. If I could, I would for sure wear maternity pants every day, even when I’m not pregnant. Stretchy waistbands are the bomb!

But if you aren’t quite as convinced about the benefits and amazingness (yes, it’s a word) of maternity clothes, I am here to change your mind! Today I am partnering with my favorite maternity store, PinkBlush Maternity, and I am going to tell you six myths about maternity clothes and why they are ALL false! Maternity clothes are a MUST when you’re pregnant, so give me a chance to change your mind and show you why you should definitely buy maternity clothes when you’re pregnant.

1. Maternity clothes are hard to find. FALSE! Maternity clothes are not hard to find at all. A lot of major chain stores have maternity sections so you can try clothes on before you buy them, and then there’s the wonderful internet with tons of maternity stores for every style. I actually even wrote a post all about the best places to buy maternity clothes (in store and online) so you shouldn’t even try to get this little lie past me.

2. Maternity clothes are uncomfortable. FALSE! As soon as you slip into a pair of maternity pants or pull on a maternity shirt, your mind will quickly change on this one. The stretchy waistbands of maternity pants and the extra room in maternity tops are oh so comfy. And don’t even get me started on maternity dresses. This white floral maternity dress is so soft, has ruched sides, and is stretchy so it can fit me comfortably throughout my whole pregnancy. Maternity dresses are amazing. This myth is a big fat lie so stop telling it to yourself!

3. Maternity clothes are expensive. FALSE! I mean yes, there are some that are on the more expensive end, but that’s how all clothes are. There are lots of great places to buy affordable maternity clothes. One of my favorites is PinkBlush Maternity, and they even have a great clearance section. You can even get 15% off your first order when you subscribe to their mailing list! So no, maternity clothes are not expensive. Definitely not any more expensive than non-maternity clothes!

4. You don’t need maternity clothes when you’re pregnant. FALSE! Oh my goodness, unless you want to wear your husband’s extra large shirts and sweatpants during your whole pregnancy, this is not true! You can get away with wearing most of your shirts until maybe the middle of your second trimester, but then you’ll start stretching them out and you will probably ruin them and not be able to wear them after pregnancy. So you definitely need maternity tops. And as far as pants go, you’ll probably need to get some maternity pants even before your maternity tops. With all three of my pregnancies, I haven’t been able to fit into my regular pants by the beginning of the second trimester. If bloating doesn’t make it impossible to button your pants, then the growing baby bump will. You definitely, absolutely need maternity clothes.

5. Maternity clothes are a waste of money. FALSE! Yes, it’s true that maternity clothes are only meant to be worn for less than nine months. But honestly, a lot of them you can wear when you’re not pregnant, and you’ll probably be wearing them for a few weeks (or maybe months) after your baby is born, too. If you don’t have a ton of extra money to spend on maternity clothes be smart and shop for things that you can wear during pregnancy and when you’re not pregnant. I definitely plan on wearing this floral top after I’m pregnant, too! And remember the gorgeous mint lace dress I wore in Little A’s maternity pictures two years ago? Well I definitely wear that when I’m not pregnant, too! Maternity clothes are absolutely not a waste of money.

6. Maternity clothes are ugly. FALSE! This may be the biggest myth on this list, because maternity clothes are SO CUTE! There are maternity clothes for every style, and I have a hard time not buying a full wardrobe every time I’m pregnant! Maternity clothes may not have been super cute like 15 or 20 years ago, but now they are adorable, and I want them all. One glance at PinkBlush Maternity‘s site and I think you’ll agree with me, even if we have totally different styles!!

There are a lot of myths about maternity clothes out there, but most of them aren’t true. Maternity clothes today are cute, affordable, comfortable, and definitely a must-have when you’re pregnant. So stop trying to tell yourself you don’t need them, because you do!! And I’m sure once you wear your first maternity outfit, you’ll be hooked, too!

The post Myths About Maternity Clothes appeared first on Life With My Littles.

This post is sponsored by PinkBlush.

If you are one of those people who don’t like to share their pregnancy until after the first trimester, you are probably going to encounter the problem of trying to hide a baby bump. It might be small, or it might be a little more bumpin’, but either way, hiding it is going to be key to keeping your special news a secret.

Now before I go any further, let me clarify that I AM NOT PREGNANT. You’re going to have to wait a while before we go down that road again.

But since I have hid a baby bump with both of my pregnancies until we decided to share, I do know what I’m talking about. Whether it’s a little bit of bloating, or a legit baby bump, you’re going to want to dress so you can hide it. And since you probably won’t be wanting (or needing) to buy maternity clothes yet, I have some tips on how to keep that sweet little bump from giving you away with clothes from the adorable women’s online boutique, PinkBlush (PLUS A GIVEAWAY!!).

1. Loose tops. Obviously if you’re bumpin’ out, you’re not going to want to wear tight shirts. Luckily loose-fitting tops are in style right now, so people probably won’t question your wardrobe choices. I love this cable knit oversized sweater because it has a lot of room at the bottom, and bonus, it’s super comfy, too.

2. Sweaters. Open sweaters, button-up sweaters, long fringe-style sweaters, or pullover sweaters. They are perfect for looking cute and hiding any bump you may be growing.

3. Layers. The more layers, the better. They’ll hide your bump without anyone questioning your motives. Especially because everyone wears layers in the fall and winter! This striped fringe hem flowy knit cardigan keeps me warm and is perfect for layering to distract from any baby bumps.

4. Poncho. ShopPinkBlush has some adorable ponchos that would be perfect for hiding a baby bump. Plus it’s pretty much like wearing a blanket, and how can you say no to that!?

5. Loose dresses. I love this plaid flannel dress from PinkBlush, and bonus, it is loose enough to hide a growing belly. And if you add a skinny belt above your belly later on in pregnancy, it makes a cute maternity dress, too! PinkBlush has tons of cute dresses for women, so you definitely should check that out STAT.

6. Divert attention elsewhere. Do you have some adorable ankle booties people always compliment? Or maybe a bold statement necklace? Anything to draw the eye away from your midsection.

7. Tuck in button-up shirts. If you tuck in your shirts, you’ll get a little bit of a poof at the bottom where they hang over the top. A very sneaky way to hide a baby bump.

8. Patterns. Patterns are going to make it hard to see any bump you might have, so pattern it up! Stripes, polka-dots, flowers, or plaid, it will all work. PinkBlush actually has a gorgeous floral maxi dress that I want for Christmas. You should definitely check it out!

9. Black. Everyone knows black makes you look skinnier, so wearing black to hide your baby bump is going to work wonderfully.

The more of these tips that you can combine the better. And if you’re one of those people who wants to avoid buying maternity clothes as long as possible, then you can use most of these tips and wear your regular clothes through the second trimester!

And now for the best part of the post, the giveaway! PinkBlush is giving away a $25 gift card to one lucky Life With My Littles reader! To enter, head on over to my Instagram page. The contest goes from noon MST today-noon on Friday. All you have to do is follow me, follow @ShopPinkBlush, and then like the photo. And for extra entries, you can tag up to three friends! Super easy, and a great way to get some of your holiday shopping done, am I right? Check out the giveaway here.

Good luck hiding your baby bump, good luck in the giveaway, and don’t forget to check out PinkBlush! And a special thanks to my friend Bailee for taking my photos!

The post How to Hide a Baby Bump appeared first on Life With My Littles.

I received free product in exchange for this post.

When I was pregnant with Little J, I did not love my maternity clothes. I had one shirt that I liked more than the rest, but all of the other ones I had either fit weird or weren’t very cute. So when I was pregnant with Little A, I decided that I was going to find cute maternity clothes so that I could look good during my pregnancy. It can be hard to feel positive about your pregnant body, so it really helps to have something cute to put on it! Right before entering my third trimester, I discovered Pink Blush Maternity. And guess what? I found out how easy it is to look good during your pregnancy! And now that Little A is a month old, I have also discovered that you can look good right after pregnancy, too!

I have found that some of the shirts I got earlier on in my pregnancy from other stores don’t quite cover my belly anymore and I have to wear shirts under them, which in the summer in Iowa is not something I recommend. Pink Blush Maternity helped me to really look and feel good during pregnancy.Something I really struggled with after Little J was born was finding clothes that fit but didn’t make me look like I had just had a baby. For most women, it takes a at least few months to get back to your pre-pregnancy size, and during that time, you can get feeling down about still not being able to wear your regular clothes. It’s sort of just an awkward stage, and it can be hard to feel good about your body.

After Little A was born, I loved being able to wear my Pink Blush Maternity clothes because they weren’t super tight, they hid that little pooch, and the patterns also helped to disguise that extra flabby skin from pregnancy.

I felt feminine because of the styles of the clothes, but I also felt good about myself because I had clothes that fit well that I wasn’t having to squeeze into until my regular clothes fit again. Pink Blush Maternity also helped me to look and feel good after pregnancy!

So now I am sure you are wondering how you can get yourself some gorgeous maternity clothes from Pink Blush Maternity. Well guess what! They are offering 15% off for Life With My Littles readers using coupon code LIFEWITHMYLITTLES from today until October 21st! I highly recommend you try out at least one thing from there (good luck picking just one!) because you will fall in love with their clothes like I have!

Pink Blush Maternity really made me feel good about how I looked both during and after pregnancy. Their clothes are really versatile and other people would never guess that they were maternity clothes when you wear them after your baby is born. And if you are wondering how you can get the clothes I was sent, you can click the links under each set of pictures:

Ivory Tribal Embroidered Sleeve Maternity Top

Pink White Striped Maternity Top

Navy Blue White Striped Maternity Cardigan

Black Green Elephant Print Maternity Maxi Dress

And remember the gorgeous mint lace dress I wore for my maternity pictures and my sister’s wedding? Oh yeah, that’s from Pink Blush Maternity, too!

And if you aren’t pregnant right now and aren’t planning on becoming pregnant any time soon, don’t forget that Pink Blush also sells women’s clothing that is just as cute and will make you look amazing!

Thanks again to Pink Blush Maternity for contacting me! And thanks to my good friend Alli for taking these pictures! You should all check out her adorable Etsy store to say thanks!

The post Looking Good During and After Pregnancy with Pink Blush Maternity appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Anyway, I felt much better this time around, so I wanted to get some maternity pictures done! I had my lovely friend Kandice from Kandice Stewart Photography take these beauties here in Iowa. We had a lot of fun taking them, despite getting bit by about a million mosquitos! Kandice did a fabulous job, and I absolutely love the way these pictures came out. I am so happy with them that I wanted to share them with you!

Please do not use these for anything other than inspiration for your own maternity shoot. Thank you!

If you want to see the full shoot, check out Kandice’s blog here.

Also, if you love my dress as much as I did, it is from Pink Blush Maternity.

The post Photos to Inspire Your Maternity Shoot appeared first on Life With My Littles.

This post contains affiliate links.

When I was pregnant with Little J, I thought maternity clothes were super hard to shop for. You may be thinking the same thing. I had a hard time finding cute clothes that were still stylish and made me feel like I was still cute even though I had a growing belly. Even up until a few months ago, I thought it was impossible to look cute while pregnant and wear stylish maternity clothes. But then I discovered something. There are cute maternity clothes! My mind was blown. And so now, I am here to blow your mind, too!

There are pros and cons about shopping both in store and online. In store you can try on the clothes and different sizes, but there isn’t as big of a selection. Online you have a wider selection and you can easily search for exactly what you want, but you don’t have the option to try on and you have to pay for shipping. So for your convenience (and because I am excited about finding these cute clothes), here are the best (and my favorite) places to shop for maternity clothes, both in store and online!

Best Places to Shop for Maternity Clothes In Store

Old Navy. Old Navy is one of my favorite places to get the basics. A few weeks ago I went and got some really cute solid tees that had small details and weren’t flashy. They also have shorts, tank tops, skirts, pants, and even active wear. And the best part is that Old Navy is pretty cheap! Not all stores actually have the maternity section in them, so make sure you call before you go. If you are lucky enough to have a maternity section in your local Old Navy, I highly recommend checking it out.

Target. Another one of my favorite maternity stores. The Liz Lange Maternity line is the best. The shirts are so comfortable, the swimsuits are adorable, and the maxi dresses are perfect. They have a wider selection of clothes online too, but both this pregnancy and last my favorite maternity shirts have been from Target. And honestly, who doesn’t love an excuse to go to Target?

Gap. A little bit pricier, but they usually have a clearance section. The Gap Maternity sections are in the back of Gap Baby stores (at least in the ones I’ve seen) so you have to have a Gap Baby in order to get the maternity line in stores. They have the cutest pants I have seen, and even though they are pricier, check the clearance section! I also love their long dresses. My mom got me a cute jersey dress and it has been amazing as it has gotten hotter. Any excuse to only put on one piece of clothing is a good one for a pregnant lady. So go check them out. Seriously.

Best Places to Shop for Maternity Clothes Online

Zulily. I only discovered Zulily a few months ago but I love it! They have daily deals up to 70% off for moms, babies, and kids, and they always have really nice maternity clothes for cheap. I ordered both my swimsuit (worth $90, paid $30) and a pair of jean shorts (worth about twice as much as I paid, I can’t remember exact numbers) from Zulily and have loved them! I like this site because of the variety they offer, and because you can find deals from different brands. There’s a reason I am mentioning it first on my online list! It really is amazing. You at least have to check them out once.

Pink Blush. I actually think Pink Blush might be my favorite for stylish maternity clothes out of all of these. Their dresses are amazing, they have so many cute tops, and they even sell maternity leggings. Which I honestly didn’t even know existed until like two weeks ago. And they are all at good prices, too, so you don’t have to feel bad about looking cute! And the colors of their clothes are like all my favorite colors. Basically, I want everything on their site. I even bought my bridesmaid dress for my sister’s wedding from their site (because I will be 8-months-pregnant at her wedding!). I promise you will not be disappointed when you look at their site. And their clothes are great both during and after pregnancy (when you want to hide that belly!).

ASOS. They are a little more expensive, but still super cute. My favorite things on their site are the dresses, and they have several different brands on the site, too. They also have really cute swimsuits and jeans, and all the clothes are really flattering (which is important when you have a giant round ball for a stomach). My second choice for a bridesmaid dress was on this site, so you know it’s good.

Seraphine. Seraphine is a company based out of the UK and while their clothes are probably the most expensive on my list, there is a reason I am including it here. The clothes are a more elegant style, and yes, even Kate Middleton wore their clothes while she was pregnant. I think a good word to describe these clothes is “flirty” but without being scandalous. They use lace, ruffles, bows, and what I am going to call “flutters.” Definitely a girly brand. So if you have some extra money or you are looking for a nice present for yourself, I would check out Seraphine.

Dorothy Perkins. This brand uses a lot of florals and pastels in their clothes, and they are super feminine and cute. They don’t have a huge selection online, but I really like the clothes that I saw when I was on the site. They have some good “little black dresses” that are maternity dresses, and they are moderately priced. They also have several things that use lace, so I am pretty much in love with those. It’s a cute site if your style is very feminine.

So those are (in my opinion) the best places to shop for maternity clothes, both in store and online. Do you think I missed any? What are your favorite places to buy maternity clothes?? I would love to hear! And if you want some inspiration for your maternity photo shoot, check out this post from when I was pregnant with Little A. And if you’re close to baby’s due date, check out this post about the best places to shop for baby clothes!

The post Best Places to Shop for Maternity Clothes (In Store and Online!) appeared first on Life With My Littles.